A senior legal practitioner and politician from Bali, Gede Pasek\nSuardika, has alleged that much of the Foreign Tourist Levy (Pungutan\nWisatawan Asing, PWA) fund usage constitutes corruption and funds are\nallocated inappropriately.<\/p>\n
The Bali Provincial Government has legalised the PWA, which mandates\nall tourists entering Bali to pay Rp150,000 per person for each\nvisit.<\/p>\n
Suardika identified two main problematic areas in the PWA system: the\nupstream and downstream phases. At the upstream level, there is a\ndiscrepancy between the number of foreign tourists entering Bali and the\namount of levies collected. At the downstream level, PWA funds are\nallegedly not being used entirely for their primary purpose of\nprotecting Balinese culture and natural environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cUpstream, why is there a difference between the number of foreign\ntourists arriving and the amount of levies received? Downstream, why are\nmany programmes not for the protection of Balinese culture and natural\nenvironment?\u201d he stated when contacted on Sunday (15 March).<\/p>\n
He noted that these problems could potentially result in state\nlosses, both from suspected revenue leakage and budget usage that\ndiverges from intended purposes. From a potential Rp1 trillion, only\napproximately Rp300 billion in receipts have been recorded.<\/p>\n
Suardika also scrutinised several budget allocations he considered\nunrelated to Balinese cultural and environmental protection. These\ninclude village head incentives of Rp42.9 billion, the Turyapada Ring\nRoad costing Rp10 billion, migrant population health insurance (BKK) of\nRp1.5 billion, office public service provision of Rp8.69 billion, and\ntourism promotion of Rp4.3 billion. \u201cThis is clearly PWA fund\nmisallocation and can be prosecuted. The original purpose of PWA was for\ncultural preservation and environmental protection,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
He argued that such programmes should not use PWA funds. He also\nbelieved the Turyapada Ring Road project should utilise other budget\nsources, such as motor vehicle tax, as road construction could damage\nthe natural environment. \u201cFrom trees to concrete and asphalt, which\ncontradicts PWA\u2019s purpose of preserving Bali\u2019s natural environment,\u201d he\nemphasised.<\/p>\n
Another concern was the use of PWA funds for aci-aci yadnya\n(ceremonial activities) at Pura Sad Kahyangan totalling Rp5.6 billion\nfrom foreign tourist contributions. He described this as shameful for\nBalinese Hindus. \u201cWhat is shameful for Balinese Hindus is that aci-aci\nyadnya at Pura Sad Kahyangan has apparently been performed by\nforeigners,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Suardika noted that PWA matters have now reached the Attorney\nGeneral\u2019s Office, known as the centre for handling special criminal\ncases. This includes the summons of Bali\u2019s Civil Service Police chief\nDewa Darmadi to the Attorney General\u2019s Office on Thursday (12\nMarch).<\/p>\n
He believed that the Attorney General\u2019s involvement stemmed from\npotential reluctance at the local level, considering that some Bali High\nProsecution Office office land was gifted by the Bali Provincial\nGovernment. Nevertheless, he emphasised that legal proceedings must\nuphold the presumption of innocence.<\/p>\n
According to the Bali Ombudsman, PWA receipts until 30 December 2024\nreached only Rp317 billion, covering approximately 30 to 40 per cent of\ntotal foreign tourists visiting Bali. With 6.3 million tourists in 2024,\npotential receipts should have reached approximately Rp945 billion.<\/p>\n
Data from Bank BPD Bali shows that approximately 92.57 per cent of\nforeign tourists paid PWA through credit cards, meaning payment occurred\nbefore arrival in Bali via the Love Bali system. Regarding regional\nincome, PWA implementation has shown positive impacts on Regional\nOriginal Income (PAD).<\/p>\n
Based on data from Bali\u2019s Tax Office and Regional Finance Agency,\nOther Legitimate Regional Original Income increased by 19.50 per cent,\nfrom Rp401.4 billion to Rp479.7 billion between 2023 and 2024, with PWA\ncontributing Rp317.88 billion.<\/p>\n
PWA implementation has also correlated with increased budgets for\nBalinese cultural protection. Data from the Bali Provincial Culture\nOffice shows budgets increased from Rp107.1 billion in 2024 to Rp219.0\nbillion in 2025. Some funds support general allocations to regencies and\nmunicipalities for cultural preservation programmes, including the Bali\nArts Festival.<\/p>\n
In environmental matters, the Bali Provincial Forestry and\nEnvironment Office manages Rp40 billion in general allocations in 2025\nfor waste management programmes, distributed to Bali\u2019s regencies and\nmunicipalities: Denpasar City Rp10 billion, Tabanan Regency Rp5 billion,\nGianyar Regency Rp5 billion, Bangli Regency Rp4 billion, Buleleng\nRegency Rp4 billion, Karangasem Regency Rp4 billion, Klungkung Regency\nRp4 billion, and Jembrana Regency Rp4 billion.<\/p>\n
Subak (traditional irrigation system) preservation programmes have\nalso received attention. The Bali Provincial Indigenous Community\nAdvancement Office recorded Rp10 million distribution per subak to 2,858\nsubaks in 2024, increasing to Rp15 million per subak to 2,862 subaks in\n2025, representing an additional Rp5 million per subak.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/observer-claims-foreign-tourist-levy-funds-misappropriated-and-used-for-corruption-1773582978", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }